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Career Corner
Where Will You Be Five Years From Now?

Ramon Greenwood -- Achieving success in your career and personal life often begins with setting clearly defined goals.

Where will you be in your life and your career five years from now? Will you be able to say you have reached the upper limits of your potential? Will you be satisfied with your position in the world of work? Will you be content that you have made your best effort to achieve success?

Obviously, there is no way of knowing the answers to these questions. However, it is just as obvious that your chances of being able to provide positive answers will be greatly enhanced if you resist the temptation to drift day to day along your career path, instead of engaging in a four-step process that I identify as “gap” planning.

Plan to achieve success in your career and in your life

1.Take an inventory of where you are today…in your career and in your personal life. What are your assets? Do you have the education and training the rapidly changing global economy demands? If you are missing an ingredient for success how can you attain it? Are you driven by a burning desire to achieve success in your career and in your personal life?

2. Set clearly defined goals in all areas of your life, the attainment of which would enable you to feel that you have achieved success as you define it. Where do you want to live? What kind of position do you want to hold? What are your income goals? What are your plans for retirement?

3. Identify the actions you will need to take to move from where you are to where you want to be in five years.

4. Begin this day to work to the best of your ability to carry out this four-step plan.

It’s time to look in the mirror. Ask yourself: Are there any reasons I can’t execute this plan and achieve my goals?

I wish you career success!

To get common sense advice on how to achieve your career goals subscribe to Ramon Greenwood's free semi-monthly newsletter and blog. Go to Common Sense At Work Blog. His take-it-to-the bank advice comes from a world of experience, including serving as Senior Vice President of American Express, an entrepreneur, professional director, career coach, and author.

© 2011 Ramon Greenwood

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